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Size of a Novel?
I've been having this discussion with friends recently and we've come to no consensus; what is the best size for a novel?
From my own reading habits I prefer short novels, in the 50-80,000 words range and shy away from the 'doorstop' kind of fiction that seems the norm. I don't know if this is a product of the kinds of fiction I enjoy -- detective novels, pulp, science-fiction from the golden era etc -- but it seems that newer novels tell the same story in twice the space.
What are your views on the size of a novel? Does it matter to you at all, or do you have a preference? With the popularisation of e-books is the value placed upon a longer novel now diminished?
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